Luminescent tube



Feb. 9, 1943. E. c. PITMAN 2,310,866

LUMINESCENT TUBE Filed Feb. 25, 1941 E60Z16 G,Ppfnzan INVENTOR.

Patented Feb. 9, 1943 LUMINESOE'I. TUBE Emle C. Pltman, Red M. N. 1.. asslznor tu E. I. du Pont le Nemoura & Company, Wllmlngton, Del.. a eorporatlon al. Delaware Appllcatlon February 25, 1941, Serial No. 380,455 11 Clalms. (Cl. 176-122) Th1s invention relates to lmproved lumlnescent tubes employed tor llghtlng purposes and more particularly to improved composltlons ada.pted to deposlt a thln, unlform coatlng 01 luminescent materials on the interior of such tubes.

In the manufacture o! luminescent lightlng tubes, varlous methods have been resorted to in depositlng on the interlor surface of such tubes a. coating of a. suitable lumlnescent material. The coated tube when provided with suitable electrodes end source of electrlcal energy aflfords an improved soft 1ight. The lumnescent materlal in finely divlded form 1s usually applied to the tube lnterior by flowlng a suspenslon of it in a. volatile liquld vehlcle. In some instances, the vehlcle may be composed of volatile solvents and a solld film-forming material. In the event that the coating vehlcle contains a. fllm-forming ingredlent such as nltrocellulose, the tube is subsequently subjected to a. hgh bakng temperature in order to burn off such materials leavlng the lumlnescent partlcles deposited on the glass surface. An alternative method provides for the preliminary coatlng of the tube interim wlth a composition which remans tacky for a suflcient period to permit blowng of the finelY divided luminescent material'through the tube by means of an ah blast, part of which is retained on the tacky film of the previously applied coatng. These methods are subject to certain lmportant defects includng partcularly a tendency for the coating to sag and exhibit an undeslrable streaking effect after the tube ls put m service.

'I'hls lnvention, therefore, has as an object the provision of a. compositon for coating the interlor of glass tubes With a. suspenslon of luminescent material which prevents sagging. Another object of the invention is the provision of e. coatng composition Which affords greater unformlty in the depostion of the lumnescent materiale. on the tube nterors. Another object is the provlsion of a composition tor depositing luminescent materials on the interior of glass tubes wthout streaking. A further object s the provislon of a. vehicle for lumnescent materials, a single applicatlon of which is usually suflcient. A stlll further object s the provision of a. composltion tor coatlng the interim of glass tubes whlch permits the use of a lower non-volatile content, thus permitting a more ready and complete removal of the temporary binding medium durng subsequent baking or bumng-off of such materlal. Other objects wll appeal as the descrlptlon of the invention proceeds.

These objects are accomplished by suspending or dlsperslng flnely dlvlded luminescent materia! in a. vehicle comprislng, as an essential ingredlent, dynamlte type nltrocellulose dissolved in a. liquid volatile vehlcle containlng at least one solvente; the suspension being subsequently applied to the interlor of glass tubes, drled, and flnally heated al: a sufficiently elevated temperature to remove the temporary blnding medium. 'I'he viscosity of the ntrocellulose should be between about 40 seconds and 200 seconds in a 3 per cent acetone solution.

The term dynamlte" nitrocellulose is intended to mean the type of nltrocellulose commonly used for explosives. It is characterlzed in its extremely high viscoslty and gel structure in sultable solvents, e. g., acetone. It differs from Iow vlscosity or even so-called 1000 seconds vlscoslty nltrocellulose by its gel structure or false body characterlstic and by the lack of any intentional treatment in its manufacture to reduce its viscosity characteristic. It will be noted that care is taken in the manufacture of dynamite ntroce1lulose to avoid any substantial reduction in viscosity characteristic or destruction of ge1 structure property of the cellulose or cellulose nitrate.

E:rample 1 Per cent Cellulose nitrate (dynamte type) 0.5 Alcohol (denatured) 0.2 Buty1 acetate 99.3

This composition s prepared by combining the several in'gredients in a suitable container and mixing by means of a. conventional agitator mixer until the cellulose nitrate is dissolved.

The cellulose nitrate employed in this example 15 of the dynamite type cellulose nitrate manufactured according to methods well known in the art. In one method cotton linters previously subjected only to a. very mila digestion at atmospheric pressure to remove ols and fats are nitrated at a. temperature o 05 C. for a period of about 30 minutes with a. nitrating acid mixture of which the following is typical:

Per cent Nitric acid 23.85 Sulfurlc acid 56.91 Nitrosyl sulfuric 2.82 Water 16.42

The ntrogen content of this type of cellulose nitrate is usually betWeen about 12.15 and 12.35%. The produci: has an exceptionally high viscosity characteristie and ordinarily cannot be dissolved in volatile solvents end dllents in any considerable concentration. As un albitrary (bui; necessary modiflcation of the A. S. T. M. D-301-33) measure of the viscoslty characteristic of this type of cellulose nitrate, the cellulose nitrate o1' Example I was dissolved in acetone in the proportion of 3% by weight. This is because a 12.2% solution as called for by the A. S. T. M. method could not be made. The viscosity of this solution determined in accordance with the modified falling hall method wa.s 052 seconds. A similar determination on a heavy coating type cellulose nitrate, which had a. viscosity characteristlc of 1,090 seconds in Formula. A 01 A. S. T. M. speeiflcations D-301- 33, had a viscosity of only 0.3 second for a 3% solution in acetone. Another test was made on a slmllar high viscosity nltrocellulo8e o! a viscosity o! 4670 seconds (A. S. T. M. Formula A) and a value o! 0.5 second was obtained. These ilgures are directly comparable and illustrate the extremely high vlscosity cheracteristic of the dynamite type cellulose nitrete as compared to a. so-called high viscosity dope type cellulose nitrate commonly employed for coatlng purposes.

The above vehicle mey be combined with a.ny of the comrnonly available fluorescent type pigments such as cadmium, magnesium, calcium or zinc tungstate by grinding the mixture in a pebble mill for from 3 to 10 hours or for a. suiicient time to reduce the luminescent material to the required fine particle size, preferably of the order of that which wlll pass through a 400 mesh screen. A suitable proportlon o! pigment to vehicle in the grinding cha.rge is about 1 pert by weight o! luminescent material to about 1% parts by weight of vehicle. To'tacilitate removai of the charge additionl volatile solvent or vehicle, tor exa.mple, about 2 parts by weight, may be placed in the mill and the mill rotated brieily to form a. homogeneous mixture after which the charge can readily be removec.

The suspension may then be further diluted if desired w ith suitable solvents end thinners to afl'ord a consistency such that the composition may be flowed through the tube in accordance with common practice. satisfactory ratio 01' pigment to dynamte ulose nitrate is 30:1. This proportion may be varied considerably a1- though in general, it is preferred to keep the temporary binding non-volatile material as low as possible end in some instances the luminescent material may be increased to upwards of 100: 1 or more with acceptable results. The application of one coa.t of this composition sufllces tor most purposes, thus affording economical advantages over prior practice which required the apblication of two or more coats. In applylng thi s composition the elimination of sagging which charaeterized earlier coatings of this type is particularly noticed.

The volatile solvents are evaporated and the coated tube subjected to elevated temperatures, for example, on the order of about 300 C. to bum ci! the temporary binding medium, leaving only the fluorescent material deposited uniformly and without any indication ci streaking on the interior 01' the glass tube.

The coated tube mav then be filled with a suitable gas such as argon,neon, krypton, etc., together with a small amount 01 mercury and capped ami connected a.t each end with conventlonal conductors tor attachment to e noureo o! electrlcal energy, thereby providinz a.n lmnrovod fluorescent light tube.

Example 2 Per coni: Cellulose nitrate (dynamite type) 1.0 Alcohol (denatured) 0.0 Methyl acetate 78.5 Hexane 25.0

The cellulose nitrate in this example was 01' the same type as described in Example 1.

The preparation of the vehicle, its comblnation with lumlnescent materials and the application of the composition containing the mpended lumlnescent material to the interior of glass tuba may be accomplished in aceordance -wlth the procedure o! Example 1. This exa.mple illustrate: the use of a. highly volatile hydrocarbon. namely. hexane, which facilitates more rapid evaporatlon of. the volatile solvents and tuzther enhanca the non-sagging character of the vehicle based on the use of dynamite type cellulose nitrate.

In general, in order to aiord an operable coating vehicle, the proportion of the dynamife type cellulose nitrate should not exceed about 3% by weight 0! the vehicle, and to provide suitable temporary binding eifects should be present in an amount not substantially less than about 0.2%. Also, it is possible to use a mixture o! dynaxnite type cellulose nitrate and a cellulose nitrate selectecl from the group commonly employed tor coating purposes, preterably of high viscosity characteristic, bui; such addition or partial substitution should be in minor proportion and certainly not in sufflcient quantity to adversely atfect the false body property of the dynamite type cellulose nitrate. Although compositlons such as those shown in the exa.mples are entirely satisfactory, in some cases it may be desired to improve adhesion end reduce shrinkage when the film is applied by the additlon ot plasticizers and resins or both in small amounts. The composition is not llmited with respect to volatile solvents and diluents since otlier materials of the type illustrated in the exa.mples including esters ami ketones, such as ethyl acetate, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and dluents such as butyl alcohol, toluol, etc., may be used provided sufllcient active solvent is present to aiord complete solution of the cellulose nitrate.

The invention is also not limited to any particular luminescent material since simllar results may be obtained with the use of any of the commonly available luminescent materials which may be used singly or in combinations.

The striklngly lmproved results of the present lnvention are derived from the use of dynamite type cellulose nitrate as the essentlal lngredient in the liquid vehicle in which the lumineseent material is suspended. While I do not wlsh to be bound by any explanation or theory, at present it appears that the unusually high viseosity characterlstic ci. the dynamite type cellulose nitrate contributes in a minor way to the elimination of sagging, end streaklng tendencles in the coating, but the major efl'ect is secured through the unique property 01' this type ci. cellulose nitrate when dissolved in suitable solvent vehicle consisting o! a definite critical yield point resembling that of those plastic materiale or paints which sometimes exhibit false body." It la probably this property which causes the com sitlon to set quickly on the sdes of the glass tube without sagging, thus dfierng in an 1mportant end fundamental way from other types of cellulose ntrate commonly employed for coating purposes. li a. conventional hgh vscosity cellulose nitrate which does not possess this false body characteristc s used at a. concen-'- traton suficently 'nigh te gve an equivalent apparent vscosity in the vehcle, streaking tendenees stll :esult.

The new compositions flnd particular mert in eercmeeton wth the manufacture of ceramic wa.re and luminescent lght tubes whch have heretofore been defective with respect to streaking efieets that are elearly vsible in the finshed tube.

The advantages of the eompositions of the present invention are several. Of primary importance is the eminaton of saggng tendeneies following applicaton of the coa.ting to the interim of glass tubes. Ths non-saggng property is refieeted in the'equally important elimnation of streaking effects in the flna1 tube assembly end in its subsequent opera/sian. Greater uniformity of coating is also assured. As prevmisly suggested, the application of a single eoat sufllces for most purposes, thus providng substantal operatng ancl raw material economies. In addition, the invention else permits the use of smaller amounts of cellulose ntrate than has heretofore been possible, thus permittng a. more ready and complete removal of 9.11 -eentamnation in the flnal tube end affordlng product ci superor quality.

In the drawing the single figure is a. diagram- 'ma.tic seetion of a. luminescent lamp made in aceordance with the present nvention. In the figure, 9 is a. glass tube and 2 is a. coatlng of uminescent pigment deposited as dlselosed zabove.

It is. apparent tha.t ma.ny widely diierent embediments of the nvention may be made without departng from the splrit ami scope thereof; and, therefore, it ls net intended to be limited except a.s indicated in the appended clams.

I claim:

1. A coetlng composition adapted to depositing a. thin unitorm film in luminescent light tubes comprisng a llquid vehicle containlng dynamte cellulose nitrate as an essential ingredient, a solvent therefor and a suspension thereln al a. luminescent materlal said cellulose nitrate having received. no treatment Ior substantially reducng its viscosty characteristic.

2. The compositlon o! claim 1 in which the lumlnescent material and cellulose nltrate are present in the proportion of about 30 parta by weight ci luminescent material to about 1 part of cellulose nitrate.

3. The compositon of clam 1 in which the vscosty of the dyx'1amte cellulose ntrate in a. 3% acetone solution s between about 40 seconds and 200 seconds.

4. The compositon of claim 1 in which the vseeslty of the dynamte type cellulose nitrate in a. 3% acetone soluton s about seconds.

5. The compostion of clam 1 in which the ratio of lumnescent material to cellulose ntrate le between 30:1 to about :1.

6. The product of elaim 1 in which the nitrogen content of the cellulose nitrate is between 12.15 and 12.35 per cent and the viscosity is between 40 and 200 seconds.

7. Ah improved luminescent lght tube comprsing a. glass tube havng on ts interim surface a unform eoating of lumnescent material depositari from a suspension of said lumlneseent materal in a lquld vehcle containng dynamlte cellulose ntrate as an essental ingredient which has received no treatment tor substantially reducing its vscosty eharaeteristie, sad vehcle being flnally removed by hea.tng at a. temperature sufficient te decompose said cellulose nitrate.

8. The process of preparng lumnescent lighting tubes which comprses the mprovement o! applying a. thin film of a composition containing dynamte cellulose nitrate whch ha.s received no treatment for substantially reducing, its viscosity eharacterstic, solvent, end luminescent plgment, allowing the solvent te evaporate. end thereafter heating the tube te about 300 C. to num off the cellulose ntrate.

9. In the process of preparing lumnescent tubes in whch a. thn film of luminescent ma.-

teria1 is deposited on the interim of the tube, the lmprovement whlch comprses applying to the inside of the tube a compositlon containing dynamite cellulose nitrate whch has reeeived no treatment tor substantially reducing its vlscoslty eharaxiteristlc end lumlneseent materal in the proportion ci about 30 parts of luminescent materlal to ea.ch part of cellulose nitrate in the said eomposition.

10. The compostion et claim 1 in which the ntrocellulose ls the sole fllm-forming ingredlent.

11. A coating compoelton adapted to deposit a th1n uniform film in a lumnescent light tube eomprlsing a. liquid vehcle contalning dynamte cellulose nitrate whlch in its manufacture ha.s had no treatment for reducng its vscoslty characteristic, a solvent tlerefor end a. suspenslon therein of a lumlnescent materlal.

EARIJJ C. PITMAN. 

